Fallen Fate Online

About a thousand goblins had been annihilated, seemingly the cleansing of Chaos Hearth was already complete, but everyone understood that it had not yet happened. A massive amber eye covered in red flame would occasionally show up over the village, then disappear, it was a clear indication that Chaos had not yet left these lands.

"Well, well, it seems their leader doesn't care about his subordinates." Roland said shaking his head as he looked around. They had left behind hundreds of dead bodies, which must be a tragedy for any leader and a reason to be enraged.

"They are monsters, most of them unaware of our emotions, especially those who appeared at the will of Chaos." Aron said calmly, staring intently at the massive hut, "He's there, I can feel it. I think it's best if the most skilled go there, let the rest of us wait here and explore the village."

Roland nodded meaningfully, "I agree. Against one opponent, it's better to use quality than quantity." Roland turned and exclaimed, "All soldiers, I order you to stand at the perimeter of the village and guard this place! Knights follow me!"

The soldiers quickly complied with their commander's instruction as a group of knights, led by Roland, approached the entrance to the hut.

"Amelia, Zayne, you don't have to follow us, it might actually be dangerous." Roland said sternly looking at them.

Tap.

Harald put his hand on Amelia's shoulder and said with a slight smile, "Don't worry, I'll make sure she's safe."

"Hmm? What about him? You're not going to protect our lucky charm?" Elin glanced at Zayne with displeasure as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Harald was silent until he said, "Hah, he can take care of himself. Go ahead, I don't think we have much time left."

'Damn... Elin really doesn't like me. Well, I don't care, I have nothing to learn from her as I'm not going to become an archer anyway.' Zayne shrugged with a careless expression that angered Elin causing her to frown.

"Fine, in that case, let's see who our enemy is." Roland nodded before approaching the massive door of the hut, placing his palms on it.

Crackle.

Roland stepped forward, opening the entrance to the hut, which immediately gave off the unpleasant smell of seemingly rotten meat, causing everyone to frown, but when they saw what was inside their eyes went wide.

"What the hell...?" One of the knights muttered in disbelief at the sight of the massive monster at the end of the hut.

A huge green goblin about four meters tall, which was twice as tall as Roland, sat cross-legged, tearing chunks of meat off the huge bone he held with his long arms.

His fierce stare could instill terror in anyone as his long black hair, like a mane, reached up to the mountain of huge bones beside him.

"It's Hobgoblin." Harald said with a serious expression as he stood in front of Amelia, covering her with his back.

The knights were shocked, but no one dared to make a fuss as they understood that this was an opponent who could actually kill them.

"Hobgoblin...?" Roland muttered rubbing his chin with a thoughtful look, "Damn, I didn't expect him to be here, especially not this big. Four meters is extra class, isn't it?" Roland glanced at Aron.

"Yeah... We're out of luck, it seems this Chaos Hearth isn't as easy as we thought it would be. Lots of weak opponents, but one sufficiently strong enemy can change everything. In this fight, I will help you from afar." Aron said calmly with a slight nod.

"Fine, knights we will surround Hobgoblin and after Elin's shot we will strike at the same time. Apparently, until he finishes his meat he will not pay attention to us." Roland said, waved his hand, and ran forward along the dark edges of the hut. The others followed him. Only Aron, Amelia, and Elin remained behind, who was getting ready to shoot.

Zayne turned around and muttered, "She's serious, looks like it's going to be a tough shot, right?"

"Sure." One of the knights nodded with a slight smile, "Elin may be too hard on the newcomers, but she's even harder on herself. All to impress the commander, and I think she's about to do just that."

Elin took a deep breath concentrating on her target while gradually pale blue streams appeared around her that slowly headed towards the arrowhead.

'Is that mana? Hmm, so NPCs can use skills too? Although that shouldn't be surprising, the NPCs here are almost no different from the players, after all, this game is pretty damn realistic.' Zayne muttered inwardly, grading Elin's actions.

Whooooooooooosh.

The arrowhead was covered in a thin layer of ice, exuding cold steam as Elin's pupils narrowed. At the same moment, she let go of the bowstring, launching a whistling arrow at Hobgoblin, aiming straight for his right eye.

Hobgoblin seemed doomed to lose one of his eyes, but at the last moment, the monster realized he was under attack and instinctively covered his face with his massive hand.

The arrow pierced through his palm but stuck without being able to advance any further, as the icy tip stopped a millimeter from Hobgoblin's pupil, making him feel the cold from the ice as well as fear.

"Roooooooaaaaaaarrrrr!!!" Hobgoblin roared furiously, tossing the bone aside. His fierce gaze was directed at Elin, making her feel incredible terror.

'What...? I can't move? How is it possible?!' Elin inwardly exclaimed as in her eyes the silhouette of the Hobgoblin grew larger while his red eyes from rage gradually engulfed her, making her heart beat faster from the fear that completely bound her body like chains.

'No! I must run! If he gets me he will tear me apart with his long arms!' Elin exclaimed, trying to move from her spot but she could not.

As if sensing her fear Hobgoblin took a step forward, as suddenly a dark silhouette appeared before the monster, whose broad back made Elin sigh with relief, breaking the chains of fear around her into many links.

'Agh, I had completely forgotten that Commander Roland could always protect me.' Elin muttered to herself as Roland attacked. His long sword swept diagonally like a flash, leaving a wide cut on Hobgoblin's leg from which a stream of blood gushed out.

"ARGH!!!" Hobgoblin roared with a painful look as he grabbed his leg with both hands, trying to stop the bleeding or somehow take the pain away.

"Good, you may be huge, but your hide isn't very strong." Roland whispered like a harbinger of death before he exclaimed, "Attack him from all sides! Aim for the legs!"

The knights exclaimed and simultaneously pounced on Hobgoblin like black flashes. They were swift and deadly, as in a few moments Hobgoblin shouted again in pain, the agony consuming his body like fire.

'I must help too!' Zayne spoke to himself as he ran forward, gripping the hilt of his blade tightly.

"AGRRRR!!!" Hobgoblin roared as he swung his arms, tossing the three knights aside. His sharp claws left long cuts on their armor, but they got away with mere bruises hitting the wall of the hut.

'Fuck!' Zayne's eyes went wide as he ducked, dodging the monster's paw flying over his head at the last moment.

Hobgoblin's attack gave him some time, so he took advantage of it, grabbing one of the knights with such force that he dropped his sword and began to choke.

"No!" Roland exclaimed plunging his sword into Hobgoblin's leg, but the monster didn't care, seemingly ready to die but to kill this knight.

"Well, well, looks like I'll have to do it again." Aron standing in the distance calmly said as his palms were covered in pale blue energy.